My wife says there are no coincidences, and I have come to believe her.

This afternoon, on the third day of our trip north, we were driving around Merritt Lake in Oakland. My wife wanted to stop and walk around the lake. But I decided to keep driving.

We told our GPS to take us to Trader Joe’s to pick up something for dinner. We had heard that there were no kosher restaurants in Oakland.

We planned to pick up fruit at Trader Joe’s.

We didn’t see the Trader Joe’s when the GPS said we had arrived.

I decided to park and walk to the store.

When I pulled into a space along the street, I could not believe my eyes. Right there, in front of my car, in front of my eyes, was a kosher market. The clerk was getting ready to close. We ordered take-home food for dinner.

So many of these so-called coincidences have happened to us. Maybe they have happened to you, too.

If you call it a coincidence, you likely chalk it up to the luck of the draw. You likely believe there is no connection to a higher power.

If you refuse to call it a coincidence, you may, as I do, believe that a Higher Power is watching over you. Moreover, the Higher Power is sending you a message. The message, while likely not understandable, is a sign that God has your back.

Why, I often wonder, does God have my back? What is so special about me, or about what I do?

The answer, it seems to me, is that God has all of our backs. God sends all of us messages that appear like coincidences.

I believe that our ancestors get occasional permission from God to connect with us through the ether of space and time. The connection, I believe, is via what we see as coincidence. This is because a coincidence is something we usually pay attention to and make note of.

God is reminding us that life is a two-way street. We get what we give.

By being good to others, we are being good to infinity, and to our ancestors.

The fact that infinity contains the souls of all our ancestors means that they have the power, from God, to intercede here on earth. The souls of our ancestors are trying to remind us to pay it forward.

Next time that so-called coincidence occurs, stop and think about how you treat others. Think about how grateful you are for the blessings you have.

Your great-great-grandfather may be listening.

Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen51@gmail.com